Crowning machine



Jan. l5, 1929. 1,698,963

c. H. osLuND ET AL CROWNING MACHINE Filed nec. 27.' 192s s sheets-sheer 1 Jan. 15, 1929.

C. H. OSLUND ET AL CROWNING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27. 1923 Jan. 15,'1929.

C. H. OSLUND ET AL CROWNING MACHINE Filed Dec. 27. `1923 3 Sheetsfsheet 4 1 i I l v1 f w/ 7 256.561,61]

Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

unirsi) STA-riasv PATENTl OFF-ICE.

CHARLESv Hf OSLUND AND JOHN EMANUEL JOHNSON, OF' WORCESTER, MASSACHU- SETTS,` ASSIGNORS TO' THE O & J MACHINE COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSAGEU- SETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CROWNING MACHINE.

Application filed December 27, 1923. Serial No. 683,075.

This invention relates to a machine for sealing metal caps or crowns on bottles, the machine being most commonly used insealing bottles containiiig ginger ale, soda, or

other similar soft drinks. hluch difficulty has been encountered in the operation of Such machines on account of the variations in height of the diilerent bottles, as these variations in height have resulted in variations in age oi:y many bottles.

It is the principal ob]ect of our invention to provide a crowning machine in whichv the machine automatically adapts itself to the varying heights oi the bottles to be sealed.V

and in which a uniform sealing pressure is provided throughout the Whole height range of the machines capacity.

A further object of our invention is to provide a single, improved, and much simplified device for simultaneously adjusting the' sealing pressure otall' of the diiie'rent crowning plungers in the machine. We have also provided improved driving connections to rotate the plunger carrier and bottle support simultaneously.

lVitl'r these general. objects in view, particular eaturesot" our invention consisty in certain'arrangei'nents and combinations of parts 30 disclosed in the drawings and hereinafter described, and more specifically set forth in the appended claims.

A preferred i'f'orm ot theinvention is shown in the drawings in Which- Fig. 1 is a. sectional elevation of our iinproved machine with the bottle feeding devices omitted;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view, taken along thel line 2-Q inlTig. 1 and showing also the bottle teedi devices;

Fig. 3 is a. sectionalv elevation ofv one of the sealingr crown-ingplungers, together With operating and adjusting 'mechanismV therefor;

Fig. A1- is a detail sectional plan view, taken along the line 4 4 in'Fig. 3, Y

Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail sectional elevation of4 the: lower end of one of the sealing plungers 5' and Fig. G' is av detail elevation,` looking in the direction ot' the arrow 6 in Fig.. 3.

Referring to thedrawings, We have shown a croiviiiiY machine comprising a base 10, a table casing 11, a column or support 12, and an upper head or bearing frame 18, all oi sealing pressure which have caused the breakthese parts being rigidly secured. together to form a. complete trame. One or more rods 14 support the liront end' of the bearing frame 18 and have their lower ends fixed in the table casing 11.

A bottle support or disc 15 is rotatably mounted near the center ot' the table casing 11 and is secured to an upright shaft lhaving upper and lower bearings in the frame or' the machine. A' gear 17 .is `fixed to thek under side of the bott-le supportor dise 15 and is driven by a pinion 18'on'. a'vertical" shaft -1'9 rotatably' mountedin the frame' of the machine and hav-inga bevell'e'd gear 20. at its upper end engaged by a pinion 21011 thev horizontal shaft 22 supported in'bearings on the head frame 13. The shaft QQm'ay beeonnected by aA clutch 23A With a suitable driving .iechanism such as a motor 24 and a han-d Wheely 25 may be provided for turning. the machine manually for purposes of-I adjusting or setting. A handle 26 at the fron-tof the machine is connected formanu'a'l actuation ofthe clutch 23.

cross lie'adBU is sli'dably mounted on the' rod-'14 andshaft 1:6 and may be vertically adjusted* hy a` pair of; threaded shafts 31 having bearings in the head 134 and rovi'd'ed `withl bevelledf gearsBQ' meshing with: pinion's on a shaft 34. which may be manually'rotated by a handle 35.

A depend-ing member 36 is boltedto the un der side ofi the cross head SOandis provided with a helical flange or cam 3T foi-"a purpose to be describedl A plungercarrier 3S is ceutered on the shaft 16 `bel'oivl the depending member 36' and is supported by a. ring 39 secured to the carrier 3S and engaging the upper iace oii au annular flange/4() oirthe lovver end ot the member 3h. The ring' 39 has a. v'ei-tica'llyY sl-'ot'ted outer cylindrical wall 39:1.

The carrier 38 is provided with gear teeth 41' about its periphery, meshing with an elongated pinion 42 fixed onA the vertical drive shaft 1Qa Gear 41 and piniondQ' correspond inratio tothe gear 17'andpinion 18 previ'- ously described, so that thel bottle support 15 and' plunger carrier 38 are Simultaneously A rotated at the same speed butineither of these -meiiibers is driven'by the' centerngshatt 16'.

A plurality of sealing plungers 44 are mounted for vertical sliding movement inV the plunger Carrier SSL'V Each plunger 4i comprises a casingttFigs. 3 and 5)y With'- 11o l l in which is slidably mounted a sealing member 46. A bottle guide and crown or cap holder 47 is threaded into the lower end of the sealing member 46 and may be held from relative rotation therein by a flat spring 46 (Fig. 5) seated in longitudinally disposed slots in the lower end of the member 46 and in the outer cylindrical surface of the guide 47. A pin 50 in the member 46 limits upward n'iovement of the spring 48 and a stud 5l in the spring seated in a corresponding opening in the guide 47 prevents downward displacement of the spring. Thus the spring forms in effect a convenient detachable key for the bottle guide and crown holder 47.

A spring 52 (Fig. 3) yieldingly depresses each member 46 and provides yielding seal ing pressure for the crowns C. A nut 53 is threaded on the upper end of each sealing member 46y and provides means for adjusting the sealing member vertically relative to the casing 45. A sealing die 54 of the usual type is secured in the lower end of the sealing member 46 and an ejecting member 55 is slidingly mounted in the member 46 and is yieldingly held downward by a spring 56. An ejecting rod 57 contacts with the upper end of the ejecting member and projects beyond the upper end of the plunger where it may be struck a substantial blow manually or otherwise to eject a crown which may become lodged in the lower end of the plunger.

Each plunger 44 is provided with a cam roll 60 fixed to one side of the plunger and projecting through a slot in the cylindrical wall 39a in position for engagement with the helical flange or cam 37 on the cross head member 36. Each sealing plunger 44 is also pro vided at its upper end with a cam surface 6l (Fig. 6) positioned to pass under a cam roll 62 rotatably mounted on the lower end of a slide 63. The slide 63 is mounted for ve-- tical movement in a bearing 64 on the cross head 30 and is provided with transversely extending' notches or teeth 65 (Fig. 3).

A pair of pawls 66 and 67 are mounted on a stud or cross pin 68 fixed in the bearing 64, and springs 69 yieldingly move the pawls 66 and 67 to engage the notches 65. lt will be noted that the pawl 67 is slightly longer than the pawl 66, by an amount substantially equal to one half of a. notch or tooth 65.

A lever 70 is pivoted on a rod or shaft 7l (Fig. 4) which extends through two side members 72 of the cross head 30 and which is threaded into one of the side members. A look nut 73 is provided by which it may be secured in -transversely adjusted position. Collars 75 at each side of the lever 70 prevent axial movement of the lever relative to the shaft 74, which may be squared at 76'to receive a wrench for adjustment as will be hereinafter described.

An annular cam plate 77 (Fig. 4) is mounted to rotate with the plunger carrier 38 and is provided with a plurality of cam surfaces 7 3 corresponding in number to the number of sealing plungers 45. The lever 7 0 is provided with a Cam roll 79 at its lower end engaging the cam plate 77. rlhe lever 70 is normally pressed against the upper ends of the pawls 66 and 6'? by a spring 70 (Fig. and thus holds the pawls inoperative until the lever is engaged by one of the cams 7 8.

A star wheel 8O (Fig. 2) may be mounted to rotate with the bottle support l5 and any usual means may be provided for feeding bottles to the support and removing bottles therefrom. We have shown a gate or support 3l which is periodically withdrawn to permit a bottle B to be advanced by a disc 32 to the bottle support l5 and star wheel 30. A wiper 83 accurately positions the bottles in the star wheel and an ejecting guide 84 removes the bottles after the sealing operation. The gate 8l is preferably pivoted on a guide casting 85 and is held closed by a lever 86 mounted on shaft 19. Lever 86 is provided with roll 87 positioned for engagement by the points of the star wheel 8O as it is continuously rotated. Further description of the bottle feeding and removing mechanisin is unnecessary as it constitutes no essential part of our present invention.

Having thus described the construction of our improved machine, the method of operation is as follows: The cross head 30is first adjusted vertically to a position such that the plungers 44 when in raised position will have ample clearance above the longest bottle to be sealed. As the plunger carrier and bottle support are rotated, the cam roll 60 of each plunger' gradually descends the helical cam 37, allowing the plunger to rest freely upon the top of its associated bottle. As these bottles vary in height, the plungers approaching sealing position will also vary in vertical position and the cams 6l will be at corresponding dilierent elevations.

The roll 62 is engaged by each cam 6l as each plunger and associated bottle approach sealing position and each cam 6l raises the roll 62 and slide 63 as it passes under the roll until the roll 79 on the lever 7i) is engaged by the corresponding cam 73 (Fig. 4) on the carnring 77. The lever 70 is then swung anti-clockwise to the position shown in Figf3, releasing the pawls 66 and 67'to engage and locl the side 63 in the position to which it has at that instant been raised by the associated cam 6l.

The cam roll 62 being thereafter lined in vertical position, the sealing plunger 44 will be depressed a uniform distance equivalent to the remaining elevation of the cam 6l, thus sealing the bottle with a uniform pressure. lf is desired to increase or decrease 'this uniform pressure vfor all of theI sealing plungers, this may be readily accomplished by adjusting the lever 70 laterally, loosening the nut 73 (Fig. 4) and turning the rod 71 in its threaded bearing. rl`his will cause each cam 78 to engage the lever 70v either earlier or later in its travel as is desired, thus loching the slide 63 at a different point relative to the elevation of the cam 61.

Accordingly it will be seen that we have provided a crowning machine in which each sealing plunger is automatically adjusted to each bottle presented to it, as it approaches sealing position, and that a uniform depression of the sealing head is provided after such adjustment of each plunger. In actual practice, it is found that this mechanism will adapt itself to bottles varying in height by more than one inch and that both long and short bottles are uniformly sealed.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is l l. A crowning machine having in combination, a support for a plurality of bottles, a plurality of sealing plungers each movable to sealing position with an associated bottle, a single device coacting with all of said plungers for depressing each of said plungers successively, means to secure said single device in dierent vertical positions, each selectively corresponding to the height of the bottle about to be sealed, and additional mechanism effective by a single adjustment to vary the extent of the depressing movement of every one of said plungers resultant from engagement with said single device.

2. A crowning machine having,in combination, a support for a plurality of bottles, a support for sealing mechanism, a plurality of sealing plungers each movable vertically 1n said support to sealing position with an associated bottle, means to selectively apply uniform sealing pressure to all of said bott-les, and additional mechanism effective by a single adjustment to increase or decrease said uniform sealing pressure with respect to all of said bottles while the sealing mechanism support remains at a fixed elevat-ion.

3. ln a crowning machine, a bottle sup port, a plurality of sealing plunger-s, a rotary carrier for said plungers, a single drive shaft and separate driving connections from said drive shaft to said bottle support and to said plunger carrier, said connections being effective to rotate said support and said carrier simultaneously and at the same speed when said drive shaft is rotated.

4. In a crowning machine, a bottle support, a shaft to which said support is secured, a plurality of sealing plungers, a carrier for said plungers centered and loosely rotatable on said shaft, a drive shaft and separate driving connect-ions from said drive shaft to said support and to said plunger carrier, said connections being effective to rotate said support and carrier simultaneously and at tl same speed.

5. In a crowning machine, a bottle support, a shaft to which said support is secured, a plurality of sealing plungers, a carrier for said plungers centered and loosely rotatable on said shaft, a vertical driving shaft, a gear on said bottle sup-port, a pinion on said driving shaft engaging therewith, a gear on said plunger carrier, means to adjust said carrier vertically, and an elongated pinion on said driving shaft engaging said latter gear in every vertical position thereof.

6. A crowning machine having in combination a support for a plurality of'bottles, a plurality of sealing plunger-s each movable to sealing position with an associated bottle, a device coacting with the plungers for depressing same, a toothed bar on which said 'device is mounted, a pawl mounted on a fixed pivot and positioned to engage said bar, means to hold said pawl out of engagement with said bar, and a cam ring rotatablewith the bottle supports and coacting with said means to render said pawl operat-ive as each bottle support reaches a predetermined angular position.

7. A crowning machine having in combination a support for a plurality of botties, a plurality of sealing plungers each movable to sealing position with an associated bott-le, a device coacting with the plungers for depressing same, a vertically sliding bar on which said device is mounted, means to hold said bar from upward movement, devices to maintain said holding means out of engagement with said bar, and means to release said holding means as each bottle support reaches a predetermined position.

8. A crowning machine having in combination a support for a plurality of bottles, a plurality of sealing plungers each movable to sealing position with an associated bottle, a device coacting with the plungers for depressing same, means to relatively adjust each plunger and said device vertically above an associated bottle as it approaches sealing position, and means to lock said device in adjusted position relative to said plunger', said locking means including a lever, a series of cams rotatable in spaced relation with said bottle support, and means to adjust said lever t-angentially relative to the pat-h of rotation of said cams to thereby vary the position of -contact therewith.

9. A crowning machine having in combination a support for a plurality of bottles, a plurality of sealing plungers each movable to sealing position with an associated bottle, a. 'device coacting with the plungers for depressing same, means to rela-tively adjust each plunger and said device vertically above an associated bottle as it approaches sealing position, and means to lock said device in adjusted position relative to said plunger, said loo loc-king,` means including a lever, a series of cams rotatable in spaced relation with said bottle support, and means to vary the position oit Contact of said lever and cams by relative adjustment et one o' said members.

10. A. crowning' machine having); in combination a support lor a. plurality of bottles, a plurality ot sealing plungers each movahlc to sealing position. with an associated bottle, a device coacting with the plungers for depressing` saine, a toothed bar on which said device is mounted, a pair ol" pawls engaging` said bar in half-tooth relation, means including a spring effective to hold said paxvls out ot engagement with said har, and means to overcome said spring and permit said pau'ls to engage said bar in iXed relation to the movement of the bottle supports.

l1. A crowning machine having` in coinbination a supportor a plurality of bottlesj a plurality of sealing plnngers each movable to Sealing; posit-ion with an associated bottle, a device coacting` with tlie plungers for depressing` same, means to relativelyv adjust cach plunger and said device vertically above an associated bottle as it approaches sealing position, and means to lock said device in adj usted position relative to said plunger, said lockingl means including' a lever, a series ot' cams rotatable in spaced relation with said bottle support, and ineens to more the bearing ot said lever axially to varj.' its posii tien ot contact with said cams.

'ln testimony whereof we have hereunto aiiixed our signatures.

CHARLES H. GSLUND. JOHN EMNUEL JGHNSGN. 

